Free chapter — from the 2026 Almanac
As of August 9, 2026, at least seven startup directories that still appear on popular launch checklists are dead, relocated, or fundamentally changed: BetaPage now redirects to PitchWall, Supertools was absorbed into The Rundown AI, JustGotFound fails with a TLS error, PeerPush and TinyLaunch moved domains, ToolFinder moved domains and dropped its free submission path — and AI Tool Hunt, which passed our source-based check on June 10, was serving a site-wide 404 when we re-fetched it directly on June 11. We know because we loaded every one of them — this page is the by-product of verifying our entire database (84 living channels plus this dead list), entry by entry.
Why publish a list of places not to launch? Because launch lists rot silently. Directories die without announcements; old listicles keep recommending them; and every dead link costs you a written-and-submitted pitch that lands nowhere. The fastest way to waste a launch week is to spend it on 2023's list.
| # | Directory | What we found | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | BetaPagebetapage.co · once a BetaList-style staple | Dead as a standalone — 301-redirects to pitchwall.co | Submit via PitchWall (its traffic claims are self-reported — calibrate expectations) |
| 02 | Supertoolssupertools.therundown.ai · ex AI-tool directory | Gone — redirects into rundown.ai; no free AI-tool submission anymore | The Rundown features tools editorially; sponsorship is the paid route |
| 03 | JustGotFoundjustgotfound.com | TLS certificate failure — likely dead or broken | Skip it; spend the slot on a living daily-launch platform |
| 04 | peerpush.netdomain moved | Moved — the live site is peerpush.com | Submit at peerpush.com (free queue; instant listing is $35) |
| 05 | tinylaun.chdomain moved | Old domain 308-redirects | Submit at tinylaunch.com |
| 06 | toolfinder.codomain moved + model changed | Moved to toolfinder.com — and submission is now paid-only ($39 one-off minimum), no free path found | Only pay if the productivity niche fits your tool; otherwise skip |
| 07 | AI Tool Huntaitoolhunt.com · added Jun 11, 2026 | Site-wide 404 on every path including the sitemap — server answers, serves nothing. Last alive Wayback capture: March 26, 2026. No successor domain found | Skip it (re-check in a few weeks — could be a hosting failure); use living AI directories like Aixploria, Futurepedia or Future Tools instead |
Deader-than-it-looks is the more expensive failure mode. These five sites load fine — which is why they survive on launch lists — but our August 9, 2026 check found their submission pipelines or communities in various states of neglect. Submit only as a low-priority bonus, and don't count on the listing appearing.
You don't need our database to avoid the worst of this — you need a habit. Before writing a submission:
The catch: doing this for every channel on a long list is exactly the ~40 hours of launch research nobody has. That's the entire reason the Launch Almanac exists — we did the checking, dated every verification, and flagged the corpses, so your launch week goes into submissions that land. The living channels are in the free 20-directory excerpt and the Product Hunt alternatives comparison — and the order to work them is in the 4-wave launch playbook.
The full Launch Almanac catalogues 84 verified-living channels — launch platforms, tool directories, review sites, newsletters, communities and AI/GEO listings — each with costs, audience, submission requirements and a printed verification date. Plus this dead list as a CSV, ready-to-paste submission templates, a Claude Skill that does the submissions for you, the 2026 GEO checklist, and a tracking sheet. Re-verified updates for 12 months.
Get the full Almanac — €24Yes — betapage.co 301-redirects to pitchwall.co as of August 9, 2026. Submit to PitchWall instead.
It was absorbed into The Rundown AI (rundown.ai). The free AI-tool submission path is gone; tool mentions there are now editorial or sponsored.
Yes — as of August 9, 2026, aitoolhunt.com 404s on every path including its sitemap, and its last alive Wayback capture is March 26, 2026. It was on launch lists (including ours) a day earlier. Re-check before writing it off forever, but don't spend a submission on it today.
A site that still loads — so it keeps appearing on launch lists — but whose submission queue or community is no longer maintained. SaaSworthy and Slant are the clearest 2026 examples.
Every entry was re-checked by loading the site on August 9, 2026; the database was first verified June 10–11 — which is exactly how AI Tool Hunt earned its row above, one day after passing a source-only check. We re-verify monthly; this page carries its verification dates precisely so you can judge its freshness — demand the same of any launch list you use.
Compiled and verified by Launch Almanac on August 9, 2026, updated August 9, 2026 (full database: 84 living channels + 7 dead/moved entries). Statuses can change — a directory dead today occasionally gets revived. We re-verify monthly; buyers get updated editions for 12 months.